calentar

Calentar is a Spanish verb meaning to cause something to become warm or hot, i.e., to raise its temperature. It is used in a variety of contexts, including cooking to heat food or liquids, domestic settings to warm a room or beverage, and technical or mechanical situations to bring a device or component to operating temperature. Metaphorically, calentar can describe increasing intensity or anticipation, such as warming the atmosphere or “calentar motores” to build momentum before an event.

Common uses include heating food (calentar la sopa), warming liquids (calentar la leche), and preparing equipment (calentar un motor). In sports, the noun calentamiento refers to a warm‑up routine performed before exercising or competing. The phrase calentarse can be used reflexively to mean warming oneself or becoming emotionally aroused or agitated in certain contexts.

Conjugation and forms: calentar is a regular -ar verb with a stem change in the present tense. Forms include yo caliento, tú calientas, él calienta, nosotros calentamos, vosotros calentáis, ellos calientan. The preterite forms are calenté, calentaste, calentó, calentamos, calentasteis, calentaron. The past participle is calentado, used in perfect tenses with haber (he calentado, has calentado, etc.).

Etymology and related terms: calentar derives from the root related to calor, meaning heat, with the standard -ar infinitive suffix. Related words include calentamiento (warming up), calor (heat), and templar (to temper or moderate, depending on context).